PRAYER THREAD ~~~ swatkind

[selmaS]

Hi all Please wear ur purple Oct 30th to show awareness for Chiari and support our friend as they head in for surgery.,

Sending Good Vibes ~~~~~ and prayers to her and all in charge of her care <3

and sending healing MoJo for a smooth recovery.

[selmaS]

  Is ur Dr aware of the positional change in how u feel, this could indicate a CSF leak...do talk with them about this.

Did ur Dr give u exercises to move ur neck to help release those muscles?

Hang in there it does get better....and if u should go home, set an alarm at night to take ur meds on schedule they only work if u keep ahead of pain, waiting until u r in pain they have no effect.

Best wishes for a smooth recovery <3

[swatkind]

Just wanted to provide a quick update. The Dr. decided on a laminectomy with craniotomy and duraplasty. I'm still in the hospital, but it looks like today might be release day.  I'm nervous, but I think it will be okay.  My doctor is def. known for trying to push patients out as soon as possible, but he's made it clear that if I'm uncomfortable I should stay.  

Pain management was very rough to start.  It took percocet, dilaudid, and toradol to knock it down the first couple of days.  I was so scared because I've never had to take pain meds after surgery, including after knee reconstruction.  I'm now just on 4 mg oral dilaudid and naproxen every 4 hours, and it seems to keep things tolerable for the most part aside from a shot of IV dilaudid at night.  If I'm not moving things feel pretty normal.  The second I start sitting up or walking I get pretty dizzy, nauseous, and the pain comes back.  It's mostly just uncomfortable, with the pain getting kind of bad by the end of the day. My neck and shoulders are SO tight, but everything seems to be all normal.  

[selmaS]

Hi.,...so sorry to hear about ur mom...sending prayer for u both <3

[desertstorm2009]

I am so sorry about your mom. I know how devastating that is. Although I don't know your story per say, I know mine, and my daughters..... it's called long suffering and pain. I think we've all been there including you. This step you are taking is to help you get well and I know it's not easy... Remember you are not alone... You have all of us rooting for you. We will be anxiously waiting to hear from you. You have God always. Your friend in Chiari, Lisa

[swatkind]

Thank you so much for the support!  I'm not a frequent contributor, but I have gone to this site often over the past few years.  From diagnosis to the surgery decision, this group has been such a savior.

Getting nervous about the path ahead, but I suppose that's to be expected. My mom was supposed to be with me in the hospital, but she was just diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer and will likely be at her own appointments.  But, I'll try to update as soon as possible.